Object-oriented feature-based design

The feature-based design system described in this paper is an enhancement of an earlier system which was implemented as part of an integrated design and process planning system. The feature taxonomy has been extended using an object-oriented approach to add functionality to the geometric reasoning process. This has been achieved by developing features within a library that is linked to the classes library provided by the ACIS® solid modeller. The explicit representation of potential assembly directions in the features make them suitable for assembly planning analysis. The research demonstrates the possibilities for a single feature representation to support multiple activities within a computer integrated manufacturing environment.